Ventura a worrying review

[itf]

It does make me consider cutting my losses (the deposit) on my Arvia cruise for next April. If they can't staff a smaller ship adequately, what will happen to something much bigger. On the other hand, we're in a suite so I guess can avoid the breakfast queues by going to Epicurian and the dinner ones by having the butler bring it? Never sailed in a suite before.

[zap99]

12 minutes ago, itf said:

It does make me consider cutting my losses (the deposit) on my Arvia cruise for next April. If they can't staff a smaller ship adequately, what will happen to something much bigger. On the other hand, we're in a suite so I guess can avoid the breakfast queues by going to Epicurian and the dinner ones by having the butler bring it? Never sailed in a suite before.

You will never go back to cruising with ordinary people. 

[FatBoy20]

4 hours ago, ann141 said:

We are coming to the end of our first Saga cruise and have been really impressed with the staff. No shortage as far as I can tell and the Captain told us that 95% of the pre covid crew are now back working for Saga.They all seem happy and I think Saga treat them well which contributes to this

Saga paid a percentage of wages to all Staff during Covid & this may be why most have returned. Saga have had three Senior Food & Beverage Staff transfer from P&O due to "being treated poorly by P&O during Covid!"

[devonuk]

39 minutes ago, itf said:

It does make me consider cutting my losses (the deposit) on my Arvia cruise for next April. If they can't staff a smaller ship adequately, what will happen to something much bigger. On the other hand, we're in a suite so I guess can avoid the breakfast queues by going to Epicurian and the dinner ones by having the butler bring it? Never sailed in a suite before.

The Butler service on the Ventura was a complete let down and I often wondered what he did all day. The only time we really saw him was the 17:30 canapés delivery slot. 
To be fair we did have a particularly good stateroom attendant 👏🏻👍

[Harry Peterson]

8 minutes ago, devonuk said:

The Butler service on the Ventura was a complete let down and I often wondered what he did all day. The only time we really saw him was the 17:30 canapés delivery slot. 
To be fair we did have a particularly good stateroom attendant 👏🏻👍

Be honest - where did those canapés go? 😉

 

That’s one corner I suspect could be cut without many complaints!

[Windsurfboy]

37 minutes ago, zap99 said:

You will never go back to cruising with ordinary people. 

 

50 minutes ago, itf said:

It does make me consider cutting my losses (the deposit) on my Arvia cruise for next April. If they can't staff a smaller ship adequately, what will happen to something much bigger. On the other hand, we're in a suite so I guess can avoid the breakfast queues by going to Epicurian and the dinner ones by having the butler bring it? Never sailed in a suite before.

 

Never been on such a big ship as Iona / Arvia , but corner suites have a huge balcony , so thought no fight for sun bed . They are really good value .

 

My plan was to eat most of the time in epicurean,  Sindhu and the new Japanese restaurant on Arvia. Reading about these being closedon Iona and the queues at  MDR,  Butler in room will be similiarly be our backstop.  Hopefully by 2024 it will be sorted, as not ssme atmosphere as restaurants. 

[9265359]

25 minutes ago, devonuk said:

To be fair we did have a particularly good stateroom attendant 👏🏻👍

Are there bad ones?
 

On any cruise I leave for breakfast (coffee and pastry) and when I return 20 minutes or so later the room has been dealt with in my absence and alway looks immaculate.

[devonuk]

26 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

Are there bad ones?
 

On any cruise I leave for breakfast (coffee and pastry) and when I return 20 minutes or so later the room has been dealt with in my absence and alway looks immaculate.

I wouldn’t say there are bad ones but some are certainly better than others 😀

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, itf said:

It does make me consider cutting my losses (the deposit) on my Arvia cruise for next April. If they can't staff a smaller ship adequately, what will happen to something much bigger. On the other hand, we're in a suite so I guess can avoid the breakfast queues by going to Epicurian and the dinner ones by having the butler bring it? Never sailed in a suite before.

My sense is that you will be OK on Arvia. Several of the best staff that we have got to know very well over the years were all destined for Iona’s maiden season when we last saw them (obviously the World turned upside down a few months later). Suspect that the same will happen with Arvia. P&O, as with all cruise lines, want to make sure that they get good reviews on a new ship, so tend to bring in the A team. My worry is the rest of the fleet 🤔

[davecttr]

36 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

Are there bad ones?
 

On any cruise I leave for breakfast (coffee and pastry) and when I return 20 minutes or so later the room has been dealt with in my absence and alway looks immaculate.

Yes, I had a bad one on Arcadia or was it Aurora? I am an early riser and had got used to the cabin being serviced early. This joker despite asking did things in his own time, the cabin was always serviced late morning. I mentioned it at reception and for a couple of days all was well and then he reverted to doing what he wanted. No tip and no good report and i wonder if he kept his job.

[jeanlyon]

Just asking, but why does it matter when your cabin is serviced?  Obviously with, say, 18-22 cabins, one has always got to first and one last.

[davecttr]

13 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Just asking, but why does it matter when your cabin is serviced?  Obviously with, say, 18-22 cabins, one has always got to first and one last.

Yes when my experience of all the other stewards was they were keen to get started as soon as possible but his steward could be seen lurking around talking to his mates and i walked past him so he knew my cabin was empty. 

[houghtonc79]

I've just come back from 14 nights on Iona and I have to say it was the worst experience of cruising in the 28 years I've been doing it. Queues for everything, same food in all 4 main dining rooms as the buffet. Can't get a seat in the bars unless you're there 45 minutes before the event you want to attend. Virtual queues for main dining and then when you get called the restaurant is over half empty. Charging for breakfast in the cabin now and with no hot food or drinks but you can get them on room service later in the day 😡 24 lifts but always waiting 5 minutes or more for one and then it's full generally. Just an awful experience from start to finish. The ship is lovely, the staff excellent but they have wedged too many passengers on-board for its size. Passenger to tonnage ratio is higher than any other main cruise line e.g. RCL or Celebrity. Wonder of the Seas is around 30% bigger than Iona but has only around 12% more passengers and 25% more crew. 

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, houghtonc79 said:

I've just come back from 14 nights on Iona and I have to say it was the worst experience of cruising in the 28 years I've been doing it. Queues for everything, same food in all 4 main dining rooms as the buffet. Can't get a seat in the bars unless you're there 45 minutes before the event you want to attend. Virtual queues for main dining and then when you get called the restaurant is over half empty. Charging for breakfast in the cabin now and with no hot food or drinks but you can get them on room service later in the day 😡 24 lifts but always waiting 5 minutes or more for one and then it's full generally. Just an awful experience from start to finish. The ship is lovely, the staff excellent but they have wedged too many passengers on-board for its size. Passenger to tonnage ratio is higher than any other main cruise line e.g. RCL or Celebrity. Wonder of the Seas is around 30% bigger than Iona but has only around 12% more passengers and 25% more crew. 

And welcome to the P&O forum...

[P&O SUE]

I’ve seen Jamie’s video - I would have been ok as we always do the buffet for breakfast! The queues seemed to be mostly for breakfast in the MDR.

[binman2]

Was on the same cruise guess you must have used forward and middle lifts maybe later times when things got busy We were at the aft deck 10 and found we had no problem never saw a queue for lifts .9 times out of 10 we were on our own in lift at the aft . Never queued once for mdr 14 nights booked in at 6 pm via app table for 2 walked straight in  probably at that time was early for people so was very  lucky . People seem to think they get something different in each of the 4 mdrs but it is exactly the same menu . Club was well packed but only walked through.The only queue we experienced was for the theatre but went down quickly and if you waited 10 min later you could walk in using your booked app cabin no . I was told 4800 onboard at reception so fairly full. We were on the same cruise and time on Iona last year and the only difference compared to that was we didn't need masks everything else was the same .Our expectations were fine for us but everybody is different. Pleased we went again to compare to last year and we wouldn't go on her in school holidays .Only done 30  p and o which suits our needs and have seen many changes but think you get value for money when you compare 2001 costs to 2020 ie £3200 inside 2001 £2800 balcony 2022 with £660 obc  . 

[JDB78]

2 hours ago, binman2 said:

 .Only done 30  p and o which suits our needs and have seen many changes but think you get value for money when you compare 2001 costs to 2020 ie £3200 inside 2001 £2800 balcony 2022 with £660 obc  . 

Think nail on the head with the last part. Also think this is where a lot of the 'complaints' come from. On the one hand you've got some cruisers paying £3,000 and thinking its value for money over their normal family package holiday. Then you've got some - maybe more experienced P&O cruisers who don't mind paying a lot more but want a more comprehensive service.

 

Before my recent cruise on Ventura, my previous cruise history had been with RC on the IOS. Last cruise on the Indy was pre-pandemic and wouldn't really say there was much difference in terms of staffing levels and queuing etc. Plenty of times we struggled to get seated in the buffet at lunch times on the Indy. Wouldn't be able to get a sunbed if you weren't up early and had to get to the main theatre at least 40 mins before the show otherwise you just wouldn't get a seat, well certainly not more than 2 or 3 together anyway. Never seemed to be seats in the English pub (forget the name) and ordering drinks at bars or from the theatre did take a while at busy times. Hasn't passenger capacity and staff numbers always been an issue for the bigger ships? The only differences really I could tell between Indy and Ventura was the structural facilities - watersides, surf machine, rock climbing etc. Ventura was showing its age a little bit whereas Indy did have a lot of newer facilities that had been added. The food was better on Indy and think its well known that the P&O menu has been constricted. Staffing levels however, wouldn't have said it was noticeable.

[davecttr]

Taking inflation into account that £3200 inside would cost £6240 today, almost double. If you are paying half the price don't expect the same experience.

[Yorkypete]

6 hours ago, JDB78 said:

Think nail on the head with the last part. Also think this is where a lot of the 'complaints' come from. On the one hand you've got some cruisers paying £3,000 and thinking its value for money over their normal family package holiday. Then you've got some - maybe more experienced P&O cruisers who don't mind paying a lot more but want a more comprehensive service.

 

Before my recent cruise on Ventura, my previous cruise history had been with RC on the IOS. Last cruise on the Indy was pre-pandemic and wouldn't really say there was much difference in terms of staffing levels and queuing etc. Plenty of times we struggled to get seated in the buffet at lunch times on the Indy. Wouldn't be able to get a sunbed if you weren't up early and had to get to the main theatre at least 40 mins before the show otherwise you just wouldn't get a seat, well certainly not more than 2 or 3 together anyway. Never seemed to be seats in the English pub (forget the name) and ordering drinks at bars or from the theatre did take a while at busy times. Hasn't passenger capacity and staff numbers always been an issue for the bigger ships? The only differences really I could tell between Indy and Ventura was the structural facilities - watersides, surf machine, rock climbing etc. Ventura was showing its age a little bit whereas Indy did have a lot of newer facilities that had been added. The food was better on Indy and think its well known that the P&O menu has been constricted. Staffing levels however, wouldn't have said it was noticeable.

It just shows peoples experience on different ships and how they can differ. On IOS we found little queuing except at the small coffee shop on the promenade.  The theatre ..no problem and we saw great shows, the entertainment being 100% better than on Iona or Britannia. The food was better and on sea days much more to do ssuch as crazy golf etc.  Our only criticism was there was not enough seating on the ship., otherwise much better than P&O

 

[Windsurfboy]

4 hours ago, davecttr said:

Taking inflation into account that £3200 inside would cost £6240 today, almost double. If you are paying half the price don't expect the same experience.

 

Completely agree 

 

When we first started cruising OK less than 10 years ago,  our P&O suite was £6.8k and a similiar sized Cunard  QG later  that year was £8k. Now on Arvia, rear suite is only £6.5k (ok a bargain early  booking) , but our Cunard is now £14k.

 

Our next cruise is Cunard and there should be no Covid excuses. Similiary our last cruise which was Saga twice the price of P&O the service also beat our expectations and we have high expectations parallel to their high prices

 

Clearly something's got to give, you get what you pay for. If we want the service of 10 years ago , should be paying £10k not £6.5k

 

So on Arvia in 2024, ship will be beautiful but more crowded,  but don't expect same base level of service. Expect to have to pay for speciality restaurants to get Saga, or Cunard QG level of food. 

 

 

[JDB78]

Quite eye opening regarding the pricing. Certainly a shame when people say "that will be my last cruise with P&O, its not what it once was". You very rarely hear with those comments the fact that the price they are paying is a lot cheaper than what it used to be and cheaper than other cruise lines that would get you the service you are after. Absolutely no point paying for one thing, expecting something else and then complaining about it.

 

I do find the P&O board quite negative, but as a new P&O customer I don't quite get it. I wish the P&O ships had a few more facilities, I wish the dinner menu was a bit more varied but beyond that, not really too many complaints. I'm not looking for the perfect holiday and in all honesty I didn't pay for one either. We're booked on Arvia in June, and only thing really stopping me from booking more holidays is time restrictions with having children and found the itineraries very samey. I don't fly, no interest in the northern European holidays, so admittedly I am restricting myself a bit. Where's the cruises to Rome? We were booked to visit Sicily and think Naples pre pandemic, no longer on offer. 

[zap99]

53 minutes ago, JDB78 said:

Quite eye opening regarding the pricing. Certainly a shame when people say "that will be my last cruise with P&O, its not what it once was". You very rarely hear with those comments the fact that the price they are paying is a lot cheaper than what it used to be and cheaper than other cruise lines that would get you the service you are after. Absolutely no point paying for one thing, expecting something else and then complaining about it.

 

I do find the P&O board quite negative, but as a new P&O customer I don't quite get it. I wish the P&O ships had a few more facilities, I wish the dinner menu was a bit more varied but beyond that, not really too many complaints. I'm not looking for the perfect holiday and in all honesty I didn't pay for one either. We're booked on Arvia in June, and only thing really stopping me from booking more holidays is time restrictions with having children and found the itineraries very samey. I don't fly, no interest in the northern European holidays, so admittedly I am restricting myself a bit. Where's the cruises to Rome? We were booked to visit Sicily and think Naples pre pandemic, no longer on offer. 

Well said. Many of the negative comments are heresy, or based on cruises from years ago.

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, JDB78 said:

..,I do find the P&O board quite negative, but as a new P&O customer I don't quite get it. I wish the P&O ships had a few more facilities, I wish the dinner menu was a bit more varied but beyond that, not really too many complaints. I'm not looking for the perfect holiday and in all honesty I didn't pay for one either. We're booked on Arvia in June, and only thing really stopping me from booking more holidays is time restrictions with having children and found the itineraries very samey. I don't fly, no interest in the northern European holidays, so admittedly I am restricting myself a bit. Where's the cruises to Rome? We were booked to visit Sicily and think Naples pre pandemic, no longer on offer. 

It is a problem that P&O are grappling with and unfortunately, quite a difficult one to solve. They are in the process of re-positioning themselves in the market, making fairly significant changes to the product with the new ships. At the same time they have two older, more traditional ships. P&O has a very large long-time, loyal set of passengers - or guests as they now like to call everyone.

I fall into that category. Because of that, I choose to only cruise aboard the two smallest ships. My last cruise (in September) was aboard Aurora and whilst I noted that there were a lot of cutbacks, the overall experience wasn't that far removed from what I have come to expect over the years.

Some of the long-term P&O cruisers like to try out all the new ships but also seem to expect the same experience that they have always had. That is clearly not realistic. A cruise aboard a ship carrying 1800 pax and having limited alternative dining options is not going to be the same as a cruise on a ship carrying over 5000 pax that has a plethora of alternative dining options.

Purely my opinion but those of us that have long histories of cruising with P&O either have to change with the company or accept that in the foreseeable future we will no longer be P&O customers. I have accepted that I don't have a long term relationship with P&O any longer.

With regard to your comment about itineraries, I feel that presently P&O are planning itineraries with the cost of fuel uppermost in the planning. It seems that most of the Southampton based ships can sail the planned routes at lower speeds than the ships are easily capable of, thus conserving fuel and saving money. We lost a good 8 hours or more whilst sailing from Cartagena to Cagliari in September (due to finding some migrants on a small boat in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea) but still docked in Cagliari on time...

P&O do have regular calls to Civitavecchia/Rome but only on the fly-cruise I am afraid.

[Harry Peterson]

3 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Purely my opinion but those of us that have long histories of cruising with P&O either have to change with the company or accept that in the foreseeable future we will no longer be P&O customers. I have accepted that I don't have a long term relationship with P&O any longer.

That about sums it up, Andrew. Even in the space of just 10 years the changes are very substantial and very noticeable.

 

New cruisers won’t be remotely aware, so long as they steer clear of these forums, and that’s all that really matters. We’ve accepted deteriorating customer service in pretty much every area of life - this is just another one. I wonder if Cunard’s gone the same Carnival way?

[Somerset Cruiser]

17 hours ago, houghtonc79 said:

I've just come back from 14 nights on Iona and I have to say it was the worst experience of cruising in the 28 years I've been doing it. Queues for everything, same food in all 4 main dining rooms as the buffet. Can't get a seat in the bars unless you're there 45 minutes before the event you want to attend. Virtual queues for main dining and then when you get called the restaurant is over half empty. Charging for breakfast in the cabin now and with no hot food or drinks but you can get them on room service later in the day 😡 24 lifts but always waiting 5 minutes or more for one and then it's full generally. Just an awful experience from start to finish. The ship is lovely, the staff excellent but they have wedged too many passengers on-board for its size. Passenger to tonnage ratio is higher than any other main cruise line e.g. RCL or Celebrity. Wonder of the Seas is around 30% bigger than Iona but has only around 12% more passengers and 25% more crew. 

Wow, you must have had some fantastic cruises, we disembarked Iona on Saturday, same cruise?

We hardly queued at all, never for the theatre in 7 or 8 visits, nothing significant for the restaurants, always got a seat whichever venue we went too and I remarked how easy the lifts were to access. I thought the ship seemed really spacious. 

Not sure why you would expect a different menu in the main restaurants and buffet, haven't they always been the same? In addition you can have a different menu in the Olive Grove, The Quays or the Chef's Table with no charge. There are also at least 4 others to choose from, with a charge. 

Perhaps we were lucky or you are unlucky but that is a remarkably different experience.